Two protesters locked themselves to a dirt truck Tuesday at around 7:30 p.m. shutting down the transfer of dirt from the south end of the bypass project.

CalTrans contractors established an alternate route for the trucks to enter Highway 101 by 8:30 p.m. and the transfer restarted. Highway 101 was shut down in both directions several times for 10 to 15 minutes at a stretch to create the new route.

The two protesters released themselves from the truck about 8:30 p.m. and were taken into custody. The protesters have been attempting to either stop or slow down the work in the north end of the bypass over concerns about the impact of the large wick drain field on the Little Lake Valley remaining wetlands.

The trucks are transferring an estimated 100,000 cubic yards of fill from the south end of the bypass to the northern sector. The fill is expected to cover the wick drain field and to build up the bridge abutments in the north. About 5,000 cubic yards are being transferred five nights per week from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., according to CalTrans Resident Engineer Geoffrey Wright. About half the expected fill has been transferred.

How much, if any, work is scheduled to be conducted during the rainy season after Oct. 15 has yet to be determined.

In other bypass news, CalTrans has extended the bid opening date for the mitigation contract from Sept. 10 to Oct. 22. Comments received by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Regional Water Quality Control Board make it likely some elements of the contract bid specifications will change, says CalTrans spokesman Phil Frisbie. CalTrans determined it would be better to delay the bid opening to have the contract based on the revised requirements rather than to proceed knowing changes would be required.

All requirements associated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Notice of Violation issued in August were tacked onto the existing bypass construction contract, says Frisbie.

The Willits Police Department received notice from CHP management that the CHP would no longer be the lead agency for handling any protest actions within the city limits. City Manager Adrienne Moore sent a letter to Governor Jerry Brown objecting to this policy shift and its potential adverse impact on city staffing. Until now, CHP has been the lead agency on all protest actions, although Willits police and the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office has assisted as requested.

Willits Police Chief Gerry Gonzalez issued the following statement: "The Willits Police Department is asking for the cooperation of the community as a whole while we deal with the ongoing episodes of anti-bypass civil disobedience. While most of the incidents that have occurred thus far have taken place in the State of California right of way in areas outside of the city limits, the incidents have now begun to occur inside the city limits on Main Street (US 101). To this end the Willits Police Department has been working with the CHP to monitor traffic on Main Street and any possible disruptions.

"Protestors have been advised that they will be cited for violations involving the intentional disruption of traffic by pedestrians. The Willits Police Department will be assuming incident command for those events occurring within the city limits and will be working with our law enforcement partners from the CHP and the Mendocino County Sheriff's Department for additional assistance when needed."